Why Do I Compare, My self With Others?

Before I became a Christian I would often compare myself with others trying to find someone who seemed to be worse then myself trying to make myself look better. It never works and Paul describes how pointless this is in 2 Cor 10: 12 "Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another they are without understanding." Before I became a Christian I was in the habit of comparing and when I became a Christian this was a habit I did not brake. I would compare myself to other Christians and think that I was just as "spiritual" as they were and thus I was ok, I didn't need to strive any harder to become more like Jesus. I don't know how spiritual someone is but I do know that Jesus has said "Be ye Holy as I am Holy" this is a high calling, I know I am not there yet, but it is something that I must pursue if I am going to take the name Christian.

I have recently watched a message on You Tube and it really challenged me in this area as well as others. I would strongly recommend you taking the time to watch this. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuabITeO4l8 It is one hour long but it is definitely worth the hour please watch it. While watching this, the man who was speaking was pointing out how wrong comparing myself with others is. I wanted to look better and more important, but that is the opposite of what Christ wants for me. He wants others to see less of me and more of Him. As John the Apostle would say "I must decrease and He must increase." I must not compare myself to others but to Christ. I am to imitate Him or follow Him, Eph 5:1,2 " Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children. And walk in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." I cannot compare myself to others in the body of Christ because they have different task and they are going to be different from what Christ wants me to be. As I keep my eyes on Him I will become the person He wants me to be.

It has been another busy week. James and I went up and helped in Tepic from Monday till Thursday. We helped with painting steel doors and walls, plumbing for a sink and pressure pump, installing lights, replacing ceiling tiles and other random jobs. There were about four other men there working as well. As they say many hands make light work.

Here James is replacing a ceiling tile. Our scaffold wasn't high enough so we had to tie a ladder on to the side of the scaffold to get up there. Don't try this at home.

Jason Wahl painting

James painting the largest door and so glad that he finally figured out how to use the sprayer properly so that it doesn't get paint all over.

Here the outside is all freshly painted and finished. This new building is right along side their other building. It is for their kitchen and dinning area.

Nice big kitchen and serving window.

Here James and I are enjoying our work just a little to much. We had to laugh or we would have cried, these light fixtures weren't the best quality which made them quite frustrating to install.

All the lights finally installed

It had been a while since the whole family here had gone out somewhere together just to have fun, so Saturday we all took the afternoon and went for a hike. Back in January and February of this year I was down here and James and I had gone to this water fall a couple of times and Nelly had seen lots of pictures and seen video of this place but had never been there in person and she wanted to see it. So with three adults and four kids we set out. First we drove for about half an hour on these very rough back country "roads" and then once we had driven as far as the van could go we had to walk the last three quarters of a kilometer into the falls. James and I as I said had done it before by ourselves but it proved to be a little more difficult with some little boys on our shoulders. Nelly was carrying Natalia as well and we had to help Levi through many places but he was a real trooper and did a great job.

The beginning of our hike.

Natalia just hanging on for the ride

A break for a family picture Andrew should have been in the picture too, but he was on my shoulders.

A beautiful spot along the way.

Every now and then we had to stop and pass the kids one by one through a difficult part we couldn't climb through with them on us. This was right after one of those places. Andrew, Simon, Levi and Natalia

I am cooling Natalia's feet down. The water was quite cool and little cooler then she preferred

Natalia wasn't quite sure what to think of me when I first arrived, but she is getting usto me and lets me hold here sometimes now, which is nice.

We all made it with no injuries maybe a few scratches though. James and Nelly with their family.

This is the place we set out to see. It is a very nice place tucked away back in the rocks that very few people know about.

The blurr in the middle of the picture is me jumping.

Simon doing a little exploring.

"Um excuse me this is harder then it looks" It seems Natalia and I have something in common, a love for rock climbing.

This was Andrew's perch for the trip he got scared a few times while up on my shoulders but over all he didn't think the hike was all that hard and said he wanted to do it again.

Since I had carried him on my shoulder most of the trip close to the end I told him he had to carry me on his shoulders.

James thought it was only fair if Simon would do the same for him.

James took this picture of me holding Natalia just before we left.

After our hike we were all tired and hungry so we went into Tepic because we had to get a few more supplies that we needed for the burger stand that we are still working on. I will post more pictures of it soon. We went to this nice little Taco place to get rid of our hunger and it worked really well and we enjoy ourselves while doing it.

These are real tacos my friends and a couple quesadillas. No they don't taste like Taco Bell, they taste much better.

There is a conference in Tepic all day tomorrow. We will be going up in the morning and taking many of the Christians and their friends up with us. We are hoping that it will be beneficial for all who attend. I am hoping that I will be able to understand a little of what is said too.

Tuesday all the missionaries are getting together for American Thanksgiving. Boy I am hitting it just right I got to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving and now I get to enjoy another Turkey dinner here as well. I am blessed.

I would like to ask special prayer for a friend of mine back home. Her name is Daisy she is an elderly widow and God has allowed me to know here and she has been a great encouragement and a really prayer warrior for me. She has been living on here own and here eye site has been getting quite poor lately and a week ago last Saturday she fell down the stairs at her house and broke her pelvis. I just got off the phone from speaking with her. She doesn't think she will be able to go back and live by herself anymore. She is a dear Christian and she said that she would have been just fine if God had taken her home when she fell, but she says that God must still have a work for me to do here. Please pray that she would know what it is that God still has for her to do and that as she recovers some that she would be able to find a nursing home to go to. Thanks so much for your prayers, she says there is nothing that gives her more joy then to know that someone is praying for her.

I have been crucified with Christ.

I have been crucified with Christ it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Gal 2:20 ESV

I have been thinking a lot on this verse the last few days. Jesus has done all the work here. He died and through accepting Christ, I have died. I have been raised with Christ a new person no longer bound by the desires of the flesh. Now I am to live this new life in Christ by faith. It has to be lived by faith because my five senses no nothing of the death and resurrection that has happened in me. My eyes still see this same body but it is not me that is living in it, it is Christ. I have to take this by faith and when I do I realize that Jesus doesn't struggle with any of the issues my flesh did and He wants to give me a new life. I have been set free from my flesh but not just set free to do as I please but to do what pleases the Father. As Jesus would say(and I need to remember He lives in me.) in John 5:19 Jesus said that he can do nothing accept that which He sees the Father do. I cannot see what the Father is doing if I am using these two eyes in the front of my head. I must live this new life by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. As the Lord reveal things like this to me I realize how little I know. Sure I have heard this explained before and I have had some head knowledge of it but Jesus desire is that it would go to my heart and that I would apply it to my life. I hope that you have already understood this and that it won't take you 14 years to get a bit of an understanding of this as it has for me.

I want to thank you for your prayers I know that I am being carried by you and I am enjoying the Lord in ways that I haven't before.

I have almost been here for a week already. We have mainly been working on a Hamburger stand the last week. Yes you heard me right a Hamburger stand. The Lord has placed a burden on James' heart to provided employment for some of the Christian brothers here. Some of them have in the past left their families for months on end and gone to the states to work and it has not been good for their families or spiritually for them. There are a couple brothers here in Santiago who the Lord has saved from lives of drugs and alcohol. One of them was working at an alcohol distribution planet after he accepted the Lord and was really struggling to have victory in his life because he was around alcohol all day every day. James made the first burger stand about two years ago and help this brother learn how to run it and now he and another brother are running it by themselves. Last time I was here James had another one made and it is being run by a family in Tepic about 45 minutes from here. Recently God has saved another man here in Santiago and James has the same desire to create employment for him as well. That is why we have been working on making a burger stand and Lord willing it will be up and running next week. Missions comes in many different shapes and sizes. Lets keep our eyes on Father and join Him in the work He is doing around us.

Here James is priming the metals sides of the trailer for the burger stand.

Here it is with one coat of the final color.

This is Natalia, James and Nelly's youngest child, she is about 8 and a half months.

Their three boys Levi 4, Simon 3 and Andrew 2.

This coming week it looks like I will be working in Tepic on a church building. They have recently but on an addition and they are having a conference next Monday and I sounds like they have a lot of work to be finished up by then. They have asked if I could come up for the week. James and I will both go up tomorrow. James has other responsibilities so he won't be able to be there all week.

I want to wish my brother Rob a happy birthday today. He turns 28, I think. I am sorry Rob I tried to call you several times but the line was always busy.

Warm Greetings

I am here in Santiago Nayarit, Mexico about three hours north of Puerto Vallarta on the west coast. I am here again with James and Nelly and there kids. I have been here several times in the last few years. I am looking expectantly to the Lord to see what he has in store for us this time. The Lord has been encouraging me to be expecting Him to be at work around me and then to have my spiritual eyes open and watching for ways I can join Him.

I had a safe journey here yesterday. Surprisingly no flight delays this time. On my last flight from Phoenix to Puerto Vallarta I was sitting next to a young Mexican man. He had just been up in Winnipeg for a vacation and was returning home. We started talking and telling a little about ourselves. He asked why I was coming here to Mexico. I share that I was coming to help some missionaries here and he wanted to know what they did. I started to tell him about the Lord Jesus and why He came to the earth. But this young man has had many people try to push their religion on him that he wasn't open at all. He said that I am Catholic and I go to church sometimes and I pray when I am in need. He said that he knew that wasn't good but at least he prayed. He said I respect what others believe and I want them to respect what I believe because I don't want to change. It kind of breaks your heart to here someone talk like that but I need to realize that unless they are willing to listen and open there heart to the Lord then I need to pray that the Lord would continue (not start because I think God is working in every person to draw them to him we can just see it more in some then others) to work in if life till he is willing to humble himself before the King of Kings and Lord of Lord.

If you would be willing to pray, I would appreciate that you pray that I would make God always first place in every area time, resources, gifts and abilities. I find it especially hard to do this when I am overseas. Thank you.

I would like to leave you with a few verses that the Lord gave me this morning that have really spoken to me.

2 Cor 5:6-10 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, and not by sight. Yes we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

5:14,15 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this, that one has died for all, therefore all have died and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.

The Long Promised Pictures

Well here is the newly painted living room I had said I would post pictures of. Dad put most of the paint on I did brushed the edges and cracks and he painted the rest whileI finished the trim on the window. Mom is happy with the colour so we are all happy with it.

The window to the right of the fire place is the one I put in.

It seems winter is setting in. We have seen snow falling the last few days. None of it is staying on the ground here but I have seen cars today with about one foot of snow on their roofs. They must be from London or St. Thomas because they got a lot of snow last night.

A Little Music for Your Visit

Thought you might enjoy a little music while you're here if you don't like the song playing just select a different one. If any of you have a special request of a song you would like to listen to while visiting my blog just leave a comment and let me know and I will do might best to get it for you.

I have the painting all finished in the living room and I am just waiting for Mom to have the curtains all wash so I can get a picture with the curtains up. Dad helped me so much, he did most of the painting I did the painting with the brush and then he did all of the rolling and I spent a lot of time finishing the trimming of the window.

One Week and Three Days

Yes, Rebekah I am still alive and I am still in Canada for ten more days. Lord willing I will be leaving Nov 3 to return to Mexico. I will not be in Hermosillo this time but in Santiago about twelve hours drive south of Hermosillo. I will be there till Jan 8.

This is the finished chimney that we put on the Museum.

Tuesday evening I just couldn't resist taking a picture of this.

What a perfect fall sunset

I would be posting more often if I had time but I have been very busy. Being home for less then a month before leave again makes it a little difficult to get everything done that I need to, but I think I am getting there. I have been helping Matthew Dyck finish a Deacon's Bench that he has been working on making for the last three years. It was supposed to be a Christmas gift for his Mom three years ago. We figured it was about time to get it done.

I had put a window in our house here the day after I got home and I haven't gotten back at it yet to finish trimming the inside and outside yet so i hope to work on that tomorrow. This evening Dad and I put a coat of primer on the paneling walls in our living room. Mom has been wanting to get it painted for a long time. This is the last project to finish before I leave. I will try to post some pictures of the painted living room soon.

Happy Thanksgiving

It seems like I get home and then I get so busy that I forget to blog and let you know that I made it home alright. Hope you weren't too worried. I arrived home Tuesday morning about 3:30am. I got a few winks in and then went into work at noon. We have quite a bit of work to get done before we start getting to much frost which could be pretty soon.

This was our first project after I got back. My boss said that the old chimney had a six inch lean to it, so it definitely needed some attention.

We are now working on the Museum in Woodstock. Ya it's a bit of a climb to get up there.

A view from the other side. We are replacing the chimney on the highest peak.

This Saturday I went to Market again in Toronto. This was my last time going for this season. I have enjoyed it, but it is good that it is done too because I need a couple Saturdays to get somethings done before I leave again. Ya Lord willing I will be leaving again on Nov 3 til Jan 8 going down to Santiago, Nayarit Mexico.

This is some sort of decorative gourd. I think it looks like some of those funny plastic balls you can buy at the dollar store, but no this thing really grows on a plant.

It is Thanksgiving Day and our family always gets together. We were a smaller group this year with Tim and Steph now in Mexico and Steph's parents would usually come but they had other plans this year as well so we were a smaller group, but that just meant that we had to eat more. We really do miss them all. Joia called and talked to us while we were all together and then Tim & Steph called as well and we got to chat with them too.

The Delicious Spread

All those who were present.

It seems we have a tradition of taking a hike after eating our meal so that we can make room for some dessert.

Rebekah & Ada

A few fall colours

Aunt Nora & Dad chatting it up.

Mark is using the GPS on his IPhone to figure out just where we are.

Mark & Rebekah

The trees are starting to change

Some geese enjoy the water before it turns too cold.

A Squirrel trying to touch up his sun tan before he checks in for the long winter.

Ah, ya this sure looks a whole lot higher from up here. DON"T LOOK DOWN, DON"T LOOK DOWN.

Aunt Heather, Rebekah, Rob, Mark and Ada is behind Mark somewhere.

The geese making a pit stop on their way south.

Rob & Ada

Cold Canada

Monday before Cynthia and I left we all went to the mall where Becca is the manager of a hair Salon and had lunch with her.

Jade checking out the fountain

The whole gang. Rolland came and joined us as well before he went to work.
Cynthia giving Jade a ride to keep her happy.

I had good flights on the way home and they were on time which is nice. My boss was so kind and came and picked me up in Detroit at midnight. I was home at 3:30 am. I left Tampa and it must have been in the high 80's and I got back here and there was frost on the windshield. I had to put some extra blankets on my bed. I slept for a few hours and then went into work at noon yesterday. We were up working on a chimney. I was wondering if I would still remember how to lay bricks, but my boss says it's like riding a bike, you never forget. I guess he was right. It was a nice change from mopping anyways.

Today we topped the chimney off in the rain and quit at 11. We went out for lunch and then called it a day. Since I still had a good part of the day left I went home and replaced a window in our living room. Mom has been wanting me to do it for a while and the window had just come in before I left for Mexico. I spent the rest of the afternoon on it. It is in but I still have to trim the inside and outside.

I am going Home.

Yesterday we went to Starkey Road Baptist Church with Crumleys. We meet up with the Jim Lindquist family for lunch at Chipotle Mexican Grill. It was excellent food, I had a burrito and it tasted like the real thing.

Aunt Louise, Uncle Jim, Becca Glenn & Marge Crumley, Ruth, Janice, Renee Cynthia, Uncle Tom, Aunt Kathy and Kathrine.

It was a very sunny afternoon, so we decided to go to the beach. By the time we got there it was raining. It rained most of the time that we were at the beach, unfortunately. We went out and swam and it was quite warm even though it was cloudy. We had a good time anyways.

Last night we stayed up talking once again till well after midnight. It has been like that every night. I guess nobody wants to be the first one to go.

Cynthia flies back to Phoenix today at about 5pm and I fly to Detroit at 7pm, so this is our last day here. Becca is at work but we are all going out to eat lunch together one last time. Uncle Tom, Renee and I might go and see the movie "Fireproof" it is put out by the same people as "Fly Wheel" and "Facing the Giants."

Looks like I will be home exactly one month and one week after I left Canada.